Saleh says his departure should pave the way to peace

Nov. 27 - Yemen's president says his decision to hand over power after more than 33 years in office should help end the country's turmoil. Deborah Gembara reports.

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Yemen's president says his decision to hand over power after more than 33 years in office should help end the country's turmoil.
Yemen's president says that his departure should end months of turmoil.
Meeting with senior members of his party in Sanaa just days after he signed a deal agreeing to hand over power, Ali Abdullah Saleh stressed the need to move forward.
SOUNDBITE: Ali Abdullah Saleh saying (Arabic):
"We should be moving towards calm. Attacks on military bases, road, and transmission towers should stop. Protests should also stop in order to restore peace. These things are important to create the right atmosphere to go ahead and implement this initiative."
Hundreds of people have been killed during months of protests seeking Saleh's overthrow. The unrest also raised concerns that al Qaeda's Yemen wing could take a foothold on the border of Saudi Arabia.
While many celebrated president's decision to step down after 33 years and 10 months in power, protests have continued in Sanaa with many furious that the deal guaranteed Saleh and his family immunity.
Deborah Gembara, Reuters.

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